Breakdown
by EchoRutherford
Summary: "His breathing was becoming labored as he ran, pushing past people and rushing up each set of stairs to get to the Inquisitor's room. He was scared - truly scared - that something horrible was going to happen to her. To the mage that captured his heart."


_**How could he have missed it?**_

Was it because he spent far too much time aiding the Inquisition with battle plans or was it because he been avoiding a certain woman to keep himself focused on the task at hand? He couldn't decide which is was. Maybe it had been both. At that moment, he realized, it did not matter to him.

His breathing was becoming labored as he ran, pushing past people and rushing up each set of stairs to get to the Inquisitor's room. He was scared -_ truly_ scared - that something horrible was going to happen to her. To the mage that captured his heart.

Josephine had come up to him in a panic while he trained the new recruits, telling him that when she passed by Hera's room, she heard screaming and the sounds of various objects breaking. He hadn't stayed to listen to the Antivan advisor to finish her last sentence, hurrying to the woman's place of rest.

As he reached her door, he tried to open it, only to notice that it was locked. Cullen curled his fingers into his palm before slamming his fist against the wood.

"Inquistor? Inquisitor!" He yelled, continuously pounding on the door, "Open the door!"

Suddenly, a scream was heard and then crashing from inside the room. His eyes widened and he gripped the doorknob, trying to get inside.

"Lady Trevelyan!" He frantically thought of a way to get inside before he backed away and brought his foot up, kicking the wood.

One, two, three, and then another. On the last kick, the door broke open and Cullen stormed inside to see what was going on. His feet were frozen to the floor when he saw what had happened. It made his heart stop to see the state of the room.

Glass was scattered on the floor along with pieces of broken wood and tattered clothes strewn out across the room. Smoke came from several holes in the wall, probably from her magic. It was nearly dark inside the room, considering the sun was setting and there were various dark spots within the room.

Cullen let his eyes trail around the room, looking for the woman he came to see. The moment he saw a head a short blonde hair cut like a man's, he felt his feet unfreeze from the floor before he rushed over to where she was.

Her body was trembling as it stayed pressed against the mattress as she sat on the floor, her knees against her chest and her face hidden away from him. He heard shaky breaths and quiet sobs coming from her. When he knelt down a foot away from her and reached out, she shied away from him and quietly spoke in a harsh tone.

_"Don't touch me."_

His hand drew back slightly before he tried to reach for her again, only for her to lift up her head and glare at him with her sapphire eyes, piercing into his flesh as he began to feel uneasy under her gaze.

"Stay away from me. I don't want to hurt you." She spoke, continuing to use the harsh tone as she kept her glare on him. Cullen sighed and reached out again, not pausing for even second until the palm of his hand rested against her cheek. Her breath hitched and her glare wavered as tears escaped her eyes, nearly falling apart again.

"Hera…" His voice was soft and gentle as he spoke her name for the first time in long time. That was when she began to cry and Cullen moved closer to her before wrapping his arms around her and holding the Inquisitor against him. He ran his fingers through her blonde locks and kissed her head, soothing her as he tried to calm her down.

"I'm scared." She spoke in a shaky voice before looking up at him, their eyes maintaining contact as she spoke again, "I can't handle it anymore. What if I fail..?"

"You won't. I believe you can close the breach and keep us all safe from Corypheus." Cullen replied and leaned down, resting his forehead against hers. "I believe that you will be victorious in order to come back to me. I will not let you die."

"Cul-" He interrupted her by placing his lips upon hers, giving her a long and passionate kiss. She gasped when he did so, but melted against his lips and placed her hands against his chestplate before kissing back. He kept his arms around her waist and pressed her against him, causing soft sigh to escape their throats and her hands moved up the metal, through the fur on his armor, and into his curly hair as he deepened the kiss.

When he pulled away slowly, they were lightly panting from the kiss and Cullen looked into her eyes, stroking her cheek with his thumb as she leaned into his touch while staring back at him. He then spoke with so much love and determination in his voice.

_**"Not while I still breathe."**_


End file.
